Could it Be Me
by Dessa
Summary: Dr. Raon attacks again, this time targeting Jiemi. But his mysterious tactical expert has plans of her own for the boy. Please Read and Review (I really mean it... I can't tell if no one likes it or if no one is reading it)
1. Introduction Author's Notes

Could it Be Me: Introduction

Introduction: Princess of the Zoids 

"Princess of the Zoids" is a set of fanfics that I am writing revolving around my character, Arasu Hemerosu. The title of the series is from the movie "Prince of Egypt," 'cause I was listening to the Nashville soundtrack when I got the idea for how to start the series. I do not own Zoids or anything related to it, but I do own Arasu.

Could it Be Me 

This is Part One of "Princess of the Zoids." This story will introduce Arasu and how and why she is where she is and has done the things she has done. The story was inspired by the song "Could it Be Me" by Charlie Daniels, off of the Prince of Egypt: Nashville soundtrack.

Index 

This is the table of contents for this story. When I figure out what the next chapter will be, I'll add it to the list, and I'll also mark when each chapter was uploaded, for quick reference:

1. Introduction and Author's Notes (uploaded 3-23-02; updated 11-23-04)

2. Lyrics to "Could it Be Me" (uploaded 3-26-02; updated 8-03-02)

3. Chapter 1: Dreams and Nightmares (uploaded 3-23-02; updated 11-23-04)

4. Chapter 2: Planning (uploaded 3-23-02; updated 11-23-04)

5. Chapter 3: Preparing to Fight (uploaded 3-36-02; updated 11-23-04)

6. Chapter 4: The First Battle (uploaded 4-19-02; updated 11-23-04)

7. Chapter 5: The First Battle, part 2 (uploaded 4-23-02; updated 11-23-04)

8. Chapter 6: Briefings (uploaded 5-14-02; updated 11-23-04)

9. Chapter 7: Invitation (uploaded 8-03-02; updated 11-23-04)

10. Chapter 8: Twin Eagles (uploaded 12-11-02; updated 11-23-04)

11. Chapter 9: Information (uploaded 9—5-03; updated 11-23-04)

12. Chapter 10: The Second Battle (uploaded 11-23-04)

13. Chapter 11: Captured (forthcoming)

14. Chapter 12: Reconsidering (forthcoming)

Author's Notes 

• I use the Japanese names, rather than the English names. This is mainly because I find the Japanese names cooler, not because I have seen the Japanese version (although I have looked up some of the voices...). The Japanese names are as follows:

Bit Bit

Rinon Leena

Ballade Brad

Jiemi Jamie

Raon Layon/Laon (I've seen it both ways)

• The word "Arasu" means "to lay waste, devastate, damage, invade, or break into" in Japanese. However, if you take the kanji from "ara" and the kanji "su", it is the same kanji used for "Wild Eagle."

• I place Jiemi at age seven when his father had his accident, and there is a five-year difference between Jiemi and Arasu.

• This story takes place after they get the Shadow Fox, but before the Royal Cup.

• The ages of the characters I use are the official ages off of the Japanese site. These are Bit and Rinon: 16; Ballade: 17; Jiemi: 14; Torosu: 38.

• I feel quite disgusted over the yaoi and "Jiemi/Pierce" couplings (she's gotta be at least 10 years older than him, and he's not even of the age of consent in Japan!!), so don't expect to see any of it in any of my stories.

• 11-21-04 Update- Everything has had it's formatting changed, to make sure it fits, and some stuff has been re-written. Chapter 10 is almost done, and will be uploaded as soon as it's done.


	2. Could it Be Me Lyrics

html body bCould it Be Me/bbr by Charlie Danielsbr from The Prince of Egypt: Nashville soundtrackbr br bLyrics/bbr br The glory of Egypt is wealth, it is pow'rbr Shines as bright as a pure diamond's firebr It's splender and majesty, silver and goldbr Are all that a man could desirebr And I could stay here and look out for myselfbr Why should I care about anyone else?br These heathens these slaves, these people I seebr Should mean nothing to mebr br But lately I'm haunted by visions and thoughtsbr And feelings that I can't explainbr They trouble my sleep and they torture my dreamsbr They sound and resound in my brainbr I know it's not right, I know it's not fairbr But why should I worry, why should I care?br  
  
I should turn my back, just walk awaybr Have nothing to saybr br But the blood of Abraham flows through my veinsbr I see their misery, I feel their painbr It keeps rolling me on like a moth to the flamebr It won't let me bebr The spirit of Isaac cries out from the gravebr These are the children of Jacob, their not Pharoah's slavesbr Jehovah will send somebody to save them, and set them freebr Could it be me?br br I'm not an angel and I'm not a saintbr I'm just a mere mortal manbr But if I run away from this burden I feelbr Then I'll have their blood on my handsbr But what can I do, and where can I startbr With this fire in my soul and this pain in my heartbr What bridge will I burn, what price will I pay?br God, help me I pray!br br But the blood of Abraham flows through my veinsbr I see their misery, I feel their painbr It keeps rolling me on like a moth to the flamebr It won't let me bebr The spirit of Isaac cries out from the gravebr These are the children of Jacob, their not Pharoah's slavesbr Jehovah will send somebody to save them, and set them freebr Could it be me?br br But the blood of Abraham flows through my veinsbr I see their misery, I feel their painbr It keeps rolling me on like a moth to the flamebr It won't let me bebr The spirit of Isaac cries out from the gravebr These are the children of Jacob, their not Pharoah's slavesbr Jehovah will send somebody to save them, and set them freebr Could it be me?br br Could it be me?br br Could it be me?br /body /html 


	3. Chapter 1: Dreams and Nightmares

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Chapter 1: Dreams and Nightmares

_"Jiemi!" a dark-haired girl called out._

_The young boy looked up. "Ara-san!" Little Jiemi ran over to the girl and locked his arms around her waist. "I've missed you, Aneki."_

_Ara looked down at her little brother, tousling his dark hair. "Me too, Ototo-chan. How's Father?"_

_Jiemi looked away. "He's okay, I guess." Jiemi perked up. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you!" Jiemi pulled his sister toward the house. When they got inside, Ara left her bag next to the door, and walked down the hall to their father's room, Jiemi bouncing along next to her._

_"Father," she greeted him, opening the door._

_"Arasu!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, trying to sit up. Jiemi ran to help him. "What are you doing here?"_

_"You were hurt, Father. I had to come home."_

_"What about school?"_

_Arasu looked away. "Jiemi," she said quietly, "could you leave Father and I alone for a little while?" Startled, Jiemi nodded, slipping quietly from the room. "Father," she continued softly, "I was expelled."_

_"WHAT?!?!" he demanded. "You are the daughter of the Wild Eagle! You have a family reputation to keep up!"_

_"Maybe I don't WANT to!" she yelled back. "I'm sick and tired of being compared to you! The only reason I've put up with it this far is to try and keep Jiemi from going through the same thing! I wish I WEREN'T your daughter!"_

_"If that's the way you feel, maybe you should just leave."_

_"If I leave, I won't be coming back." Her father didn't reply. She turned and fled quickly down the hall, snatching up her bag by the door._

_Jiemi looked up as she came outside. "Where're you going? You just got home!"_

_Arasu knelt down in front of Jiemi. "I have to go away." Jiemi started to sniffle. "Now listen to me, Jiemi: I want you to follow your dreams, and don't let anyone get in your way or try to stop you. Then, one day, we'll meet again. I promise you this." She gave her brother one last hug, then stood up and walked away, never looking back..._

Arasu sat up suddenly in the darkness. It took her a moment to figure out where she was, and then she realized that she'd been dreaming. She held up a hand to rub her temples, and realized there were tears on her cheek. She wiped them away quickly. _No, _she told herself. _I can never go back. They wouldn't accept me back now, anyway..._


	4. Chapter 2: Planning

The Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Chapter 2: Planning

Arasu stood silent and still as she waited for her presence to be noticed. The man she was there for had his back to her, and was slurping up instant ramen. When he had finished his noodles and still not acknowledged her, Arasu lost her patience. "Dr. Raon, sir? You wished to see me?"

Dr. Raon turned to face her. "Yes, I did." He gestured to a chair near his desk, which was covered in papers and datapads. "Please, be seated." Arasu sat down quietly in the chair. "Now, I've been looking through some of your strategies and programs, and they look very nice." He shuffled through the papers and came up with a datapad. "But I'm slightly confused about this one." He handed the datapad to Arasu.

Arasu scanned through the datapad's display quickly, reminding herself of what she had written. "This is meant to be used in conjunction with the 'Remote Pilot' program I turned in a month ago." She gestured toward the desk, and Dr. Raon nodded. Arasu shuffled through the papers and datapads, until she found the one she was looking for. She cued up the appropriate section of the datapad, and handed it back to him. "With the 'Remote Pilot' program, if anything happens to our warrior or the computer, we can take control from the base. The 'Hijack' program, on the other hand, may make it possible to send an electronic surge through our opponents' Zoids, temporary freezing their computer. Now, it is my theory that if we use the two in conjunction with each other, it may be possible to temporarily take control of our opponents' Zoid. By using an electrical charge to confuse the Zoid's computer, we can use a radio transmitter to send the programs, and then to control the Zoid. I'm not sure how long we would be able to maintain the control, but the surge should last long enough to at least throw the warrior off, so that it'll be easier for us to take them down. Unfortunately, I don't think that we'd be able to control the Zoid from the base. We'd need to control the Zoid from the field."

Dr. Raon sat silently reading the datapad, nodding occasionally. "This looks very promising. How long until it can be installed in one of our Zoids and tested?"

"I'd have to check our current Zoids to see if we have any with weapons that could create the appropriate electrical charge, but it should be ready to test in about a week."

"Good, good... Would a Reinosu Zoid be sufficient for you to test it with?"

"Me?" Arasu asked, surprised. Regaining her composure, Arasu continued, "I'm sure a Reinosu would be sufficient, but why would you want me to test it? I'm much more used to coordinating the attack from within the Whaleking."

"I have seen your test flights on aerial Zoids, and, given the speed that can be achieved by a Reinosu, there shouldn't be much of a problem with keeping you out of the way of attacks. Besides, it is your program, so I'd like to see you be the one to test it, so you can judge when the right time to use it is."

Arasu nodded. "When will the Reinosu be ready?"

"It's in the hangar right now, if you'd like to get started." Dr. Raon stood up and walked out of the office, and Arasu followed him to the hangar bay. "I'm giving you this Zoid, Ara, as a gift. I'd like to see you in more battles."

"Sir, I cannot accept this Zoid."

"Why not? Haven't I treated you like a daughter for these past years?"

"Yes, sir, and that's the problem. Some of the other men, they're resentful of the attention you are given me."

Raon was silent for a moment. "Do you currently have a Zoid?" Arasu shook her head. "Then I am giving this to you, because I have faith in your abilities as a pilot and want you to battle more. Is that acceptable?" Arasu paused, then nodded.

They reached the hangar, and Arasu stood in awe of the Reinosu standing there. She climbed up into cockpit, and felt a twinge of guilt, but it passed quickly. She scanned the controls and the systems, unconsciously making changes in her head that she'd need to get taken care of. "I can definitely get this finished in a week," she told Raon.

"Good. I'll set up a battle for then, so we can test it out."


	5. Chapter 3: Preparing to Fight

The Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Chapter 3: Preparing to Fight

The Blitz Team was lounging about the living room of their base when Dr. Torosu came in with news. "Guess what? We have a challenge!" he told them enthusiastically.

Ballade didn't even look up, continuing to sip his coffee, and Jiemi simply looked at Torosu. Bit and Rinon, however, jumped to their feet, eager for another battle.

"Who is it Doc?" Bit asked, while Rinon commented "I hope it's Naomi, so I can prove again how superior my Gun Sniper is to hers," at the same time.

"It's Dr. Raon."

"Ah, Doc!" Jiemi complained. "Why do we have to keep battling him?"

"Because there's five times the normal prize money."

"We'll do it," Ballade cut in, before anyone could object.

Jiemi sighed. "Is money and personal points the only things you think of?" Ballade nodded. Jiemi sighed again. "When is the battle?"

"A week from today. We'd better get ready," Torosu replied, and then left the room.

As she poured over the computer of the Reinosu, Arasu was in her element. She had always loved computers, as far back as she could remember. Thinking up and implementing new Zoid programming was more than her job, it was her hobby. It was also what got her kicked out of the Zoid Academy...

_"Arasu Hemerosu! Come down out of that Zoid right now!" a woman yelled at Arasu. Arasu didn't move. The woman signaled to the two men who were with her, and they climbed up to the cockpit of the Reinosu and pulled her out. "It is against regulations to alter the programming of a school Zoid. What do you think you were doing?"_

_The twelve-year-old girl pulled herself up as high as she could go, and looked the principal in the eyes. "I was not 'altering' its programming. I was just, err, tweaking it a little, so that it'll perform better."_

_"That does not excuse anything. The rules are clear. You will be expelled..."_

Arasu shook her head to clear it. She didn't know why all of these old memories were surfacing, but she couldn't let them get in the way of her work.

"Arasu!" Dr. Raon called. Arasu peered over the side of the cockpit. "I have organized the match. You will be fighting the Blitz team."

"The Blitz team? I take it you want me to try to capture the Raigaru Zero?"

"Very perceptive. I want you to take the lead in this battle, so what will you need?"

Arasu thought for a moment. "They'll probably send out the Ragairu, the Shadow Fox, and the Gun Sniper, like they always do. I'll need at least 4 other Zoids out there with me. Two to keep the Shadow Fox and the Gun Sniper busy, and the other two to distract the Raigaru so that I can test the new system. If that works, I'll take out one of the other two Zoids, and the others can focus on the other." Arasu paused. "I'll also need another aerial Zoid on standby, incase they send out their Reinosu. We need to either take it out or occupy it before it can start attacking me."

"I'll organize everything. Is your Reinosu ready?"

Arasu looked down at the workers implementing her changes to the Zoid "Almost. I'm just waiting for my new claws." Arasu looked over toward the edge of the hangar bay. "Be careful with those!" she shouted at someone carrying a heavy box.

"I'll get some mechanics over here to install those for you."

"Thank you, sir."


	6. Chapter 4: The First Battle

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Author's notes: Dialogue between mean that it's over a com-link. For the purposes of this battle, dialogue will be considered to be in the two bases, so dialogue being sent from the base to the Zoids will not be marked as 'com-link.'

Chapter 4: The First Battle

Arasu took in a deep breath, and sighed, as she ran her hands across her custom-made battlesuit. The fabric had rubber threads throughout it, to help buffer her against any electrical attacks she might face in her aerial Zoid. Dr. Raon had given it to her the night before, but she didn't know how long ago he had had it made. At least the other Backdraft warriors couldn't complain about this gift. It was a known fact on the Whaleking that Dr. Raon thought her a more than competent warrior, and that she should go into battles more often. And that she didn't have any real battle attire.

Of course, those facts did nothing to sweeten her to the pilots Dr. Raon had chosen for this battle. She'd worked with them all before, but as strategist, not as a battle leader. They did nothing to hide their contempt for her, and the fact that they did **not** think her competent to lead the battle. Still, Dr. Raon was their commander, so they followed his orders, even if that meant that they had to be lead by Arasu.

Picking up a digital tablet from her desk, Arasu reviewed the battleplan one last time. The four Helcats would go into battle first, making it appear as if they were the only adversaries. She'd come in afterward, with the Zabat pilot remaining on standby until it appeared that the Blitz Team might launch their Reinosu. Arasu sighed one last time, then walked down to the hangar to finish preparing for battle.

"It looks like they're using four Helcats," Jiemi told the three warriors, "but be careful, because they're still the Backdraft Group."

"No problem, Jiemi," Bit confidently told the younger boy. "Helcats have speed, but nothing Raigaru and I can't handle." 

Jiemi sighed. They would never learn. "Ready to launch?" he asked Bit.

"Go, Iega!" Bit shouted, the catapult sending him and Raigaru flying from the Hover Cargo.

"Ballade, Rinon?" Jiemi asked.

"Launching Shadow Fox," Brad announced, and followed Bit off of the catapult.

"Rinon here, mobilizing Gun Sniper!" Rinon yelled to Jiemi. The three Zoids landed close together, and lined up ready to face the Helcats that Dr. Raon was sending against them.

Arasu watched from the cockpit of her Reinosu as the Dark Judge capsule landed in the middle of the battlefield. "Battlefield set up! The Blitz Team vs. the Helcat Team. Battlemode: 0999. Ready, **FIGHT**!"

The Helcats were doing just what they had been instructed. Two of them distracted the Cancer Sniper and Shadow Fox, while the other two lured the Raigaru Iega out of the way.

Arasu watched the battle for a few minutes, before launching her Reinosu.

"They're launching another Zoid!" Jiemi cried. He looked toward Dr. Torosu unbelievingly.

Dr. Torosu sighed. "Battlemode 0999 has no rules. There's nothing to keep them from launching another Zoid." Dr. Torosu thought for a moment. "Of course, there's also nothing to keep **US** from launching another Zoid. You'd better stand-by in the Reinosu; we may need to use you." Jiemi nodded, and quickly left the command room to get his Zoid ready.

"Rinon, can you take out that Reinosu?" Bit asked.

"This stubborn Helcat just won't take the hint and let me catch it!" Rinon shouted back.

"Ballade?" Bit asked.

"I'm in the same fix Rinon is, Bit. I can't help you," the oldest warrior on the Blitz team replied.

"And I'm stuck with two. I guess we'll just have to wait to see what the Reinosu does." Bit sounded slightly rejected, but he didn't have any time to think about the Reinosu, because the two Helcats were keeping him busy enough.

Arasu flew above the battle, checking it out. Arasu flipped a couple of switches on the side of the cockpit. "Helcats One and Two, break off battle with the Raigaru. One, take the Gun Sniper; Two, the Shadow Fox." The two pilots acknowledged her orders, and broke off from the Raigaru. Arasu flew low purposefully, flying away from the Raigaru, and, just as she'd planned, the Raigaru followed her. _This is too easy_, she thought, watching all the pieces of her strategy fall into place.

Arasu waited until it seemed that the Raigaru was going it's fastest speed, before swiveling around. Dr. Raon had added tremendous maneuverability to her Reinosu, so it could literally turn on it's tail. She flew straight at the Raigaru, her forward cannon blazing, forcing the Raigaru to skid in it's attempt to turn around, and loose quite a bit of its speed. As it raced away from her, she shot out her new electroclaws, and could practically feel the surge of energy as it shot out toward the Reinosu.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Bit screamed, and Arasu felt pleasure knowing that her plan was working. She quickly sent the code for the Hijack program, followed by starting the Remote Pilot program in her own Zoid. The Raigaru Iega twisted and turned, trying to dislodge her claws from it. Arasu checked her screens to check the progress of the battle. _Good,_ she thought. _The Gun Sniper and Shadow Fox are too busy to notice us_. She sent the code for the Hijack program to activate, and watched as another electrical surge froze the Raigaru. Arasu knew she had only moments, so she activated the receptors in the claws, and disengaged them from the cables connecting them to her Zoid.

Bit was confused. His computer had frozen for a couple of seconds, but everything seemed fine. He didn't know what happened in the battle for those few seconds, but apparently the cables on those stupid claws of the Reinosu had broken, because now just the claws remained hooked on his Zoid. He looked around, and couldn't find the Reinosu anywhere. Either the pilot had gone down, which he doubted, or he was just hiding. _Well, if he's not gonna show himself to me, I might as well help the others. It looks like Rinon and Ballade need me_.

I know that this battle was originally supposed to be one chapter, but it's getting pretty long, so I'll stop it here and make chapter 5 "The First Battle, part 2".

Please review, though. As I'm writing this, this fic has no reviews.


	7. Chapter 5: The First Battle, part 2

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

AN: Well, here's the rest of the battle, and thank you to the three people who have reviewed this story. Also, Arasu is gonna use the word "frack" in this chapter (and probably many further down). This is Arasu's favorite explective (I'm too lazy to go look up exactly what it means, so if you don't know, either consult a dictionary or ask your parents). It's not exactly a swear word, but it sorta is. It's from _Battlestar Galactica_, and Starbuck uses it often, along with "feldercarb."

Chapter 5: The First Battle, part 2

When Bit got back to the main battle, he looked to see how Rinon and Ballade were doing. Each one had two Helcats they were facing, but Ballade was able to freeze one's computer, and had almost beaten the other. So Bit decided to help Rinon, and sent Raigaru Iega bounding toward her.

"Raigaru," Arasu whispered under her breath, "you are mine!" Arasu flipped a switch on her console, and a second set of controls came out from under her main control set. She flipped a second switch, and addressed two of her Helcat pilots. "Helcat pilots one and three, break off battle with the Gun Sniper and engage the Shadow Fox on my mark." Arasu waited until Raigaru was almost on top of the two Helcats, and then shouted "MARK!" right as she hit the button on the second control panel. The Helcats scattered, but the Raigaru kept going, and hit the Gun Sniper square on.

"Bit!" Rinon yelled. "What do you think you're doing?! You almost took me out!" 

"I don't know what happened? The Helcats jumped out of the way at the last moment, and Raigaru wouldn't respond to the controls!" Bit tried to turn Raigaru to help Ballade, who was fighting the two Helcats that had just left Rinon, but had downed the other two, but Raigaru still wouldn't listen. Instead, Raigaru turned on Rinon and attacked her again. "Raigaru! What's going on?" 

Jiemi listened to the problems from Reinosu's cockpit. "Doc, what's going on? Why's Raigaru attacking the Gun Sniper?" 

Dr. Torosu checked the instruments. "I'm detecting radio signals coming from those claws the other Reinosu left on Raigaru!" he exclaimed. Dr. Torosu used the computer to find the source of the signals, and found the enemy Reinosu landed and hiding behind a sand dune. "Jiemi! Launch now! The enemy Reinosu has done something to Raigaru, and you need to take it out!" Jiemi launched his Reinosu, and Dr. Torosu just sat back and hoped for the best.

From her cockpit, Arasu viewed the battle. The Shadow Fox had taken out two of the Helcats, but she had successfully gotten control of the Raigaru. She jerked the extra controls, and the Raigaru attacked the Gun Sniper. Through the connection, she could hear the Gun Sniper pilot's anger, and the Raigaru pilot's confusion. She laughed. Arasu commanded the Raigaru to use it's Strike Laser Claw attack, and watched as the Gun Sniper's computer froze. _One down, one to go_, she thought. As she forced the Raigaru to turn toward the Shadow Fox, her cockpit was rocked by fire. "FRACK!" she yelled. Checking her instruments, she saw that the enemy Reinosu had launched and attacked her. "Zabat pilot! Report!" she yelled into the comlink.

"I- I'm sorry! I was watching you and the Raigaru, I didn't notice! Do you want me to launch now?" the Zabat pilot apologized.

"No. I'll have to handle the Reinosu on my own." Arasu cut the link, and took off. She had to disconnect the connection with the Raigaru, and it and the Shadow Fox quickly dispelled her remaining two Helcats.

"Arasu! Return to the Whaleking. We cannot lose those programs," Dr. Raon cut in. _Or you_, Arasu knew he left unsaid. "Retreat as soon as possible."

Arasu turned to return to the Whaleking, but the enemy Reinosu followed her. She increased her speed to Mach 3, but the other Zoid repeated the action.

"Running scared?" a cocky voice asked her.

"I'm not afraid of anyone," she retorted.

"You should fear the Wild Eagle, Little Lady," the other pilot responded.

Arasu froze, and took another shot. The Zabat launched to give her cover fire just then, however, and she safely made it back to the hangar, as the judge grudgingly conceded the win to the Blitz Team. As she climbed out of her cockpit, she thought to herself, _'Wild Eagle'? But who would use that name?_


	8. Chapter 6: Briefings

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Chapter 6: Briefings

Arasu walked silently but quickly toward the briefing room. Dr. Raon would want to discuss the battle with her and the other warriors. When she turned down the last corner before the briefing room, she could see the other five warriors. The Zabat warrior was slumped against the wall, but the four Helcat warriors were waiting for her.

"So she returns," one of them commented.

Another waited for her to pass, then looked at her butt. "Where's your tail? I wanna see it between your legs."

Arasu brushed past them and walked through the door. "First of all, I was following orders. Second, at least I retreated with my Zoid intact, and I wasn't defeated." She took her seat at the circular table on the left side of the head seat, and the leader of the Helcat warriors on the right side. The other four warriors sat between them, with the Zabat warrior closest to Arasu.

After only a few moments, Dr. Raon entered through another door, carrying a folder, and took his seat at the head. He looked down at some notes in the folder, and then he spoke. "Well, we may have lost the battle, although it was not as bad as it could have been." He turned to the Zabat warrior. "What happened? You were supposed to back-up Hemerosu, so that the Blitz Team's Reinosu couldn't attack her. She had already taken out the Gun Sniper, so we may have been able to take out the Shadow Fox as well."

The Zabat warrior looked down. "Sir, I... I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. It appeared as if everything was going in our favor. I'll never let it happen again." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"You may be dismissed. I will consider your punishment and notify you later." The Zabat pilot stood and left the room quickly, bowing slightly to Raon in salute. "As the rest of you," Dr. Raon said, turning to the Helcat warriors. "I thought you were supposed to be the best warriors we have. Yet all four of you were taken out by **ONE** Shadow Fox. How is this possible?"

The Helcat's leader turned and addressed Dr. Raon. "Sir, we did everything we could..."

Dr. Raon cut him short. "Shazno, isn't it?" The Helcat warrior nodded. "I overheard your discussion before this briefing. This battle was to test Hemerosu's new system, which we could use to take over an enemy Zoid, if our warriors could not finish the battle themselves. This is not technology that we want the Zoid Battle Commission to be able to get their hands on. If Hemerosu's Reinosu had been captured, it is almost certain that she would have been apprehended and the technology appropriated. This is not a risk we could take, so I ordered a strategic retreat, since none of you were in a position to give her ground support against the remaining two Zoids. Bear in mind that she was the only one that successfully took out one of the enemy's Zoids. I do not want to hear of any harassment that she receives, or you will regret it. Have I made myself clear?" Shazno and his team nodded. "Dismissed."

Dr. Raon turned to Arasu and waited until the Helcat team had left the room before continuing his briefing. "The test was a success?"

"Yes, sir, but..."

"One, when we are in private, I'd prefer if you call me 'Ese'. 'Dr. Raon' and 'Sir' are too formal for me, and everyone else calls me that. Second, do not worry about the other warriors. You successfully completed your job, which is more than we can say for them. They will be punished if anything comes from this."

"Yes s-, er, Ese." She paused. "The test worked wonderfully, and was a complete success, but I have a question to ask you." Dr. Raon nodded, so Arasu continued. "The enemy Reinosu pilot... he called himself the 'Wild Eagle'. Do— do you know why?"

Dr. Raon looked down and sighed. "I was hoping they wouldn't send him out." He paused, before looking at Arasu again. "I am sorry, Arasu, for sending you into battle without knowing... the Reinosu pilot for the Blitz team is Jiemi Hemerosu, your brother."

"WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE, BIT?!?!?!?!" Rinon yelled at the blond-haired boy.

"How should I know? I just lost control of Raigaru all of a sudden!" Bit shouted back.

"Calm down," Dr. Torosu sighed. "Rinon, while we don't know exactly what happened out there, we do know that it's not Bit's fault. Once Jiemi gets back from running diagnostics on those claws the enemy Reinosu left behind, we'll know exactly what happened."

"How's it going Jiemi?" Ballade called up to the younger boy.

Jiemi looked up from his wiring, and looked down at the mercenary. "Whoever did this is really amazing."

"Oh?" Ballade asked.

"Near as I can tell, when the Reinosu's claws shocked the Raigaru, it sent a program along with it. The claws that stayed on the Raigaru served as radios, and the program convinced the Raigaru's computer that the pilot in the Reinosu was the proper pilot. Given Raigaru's refusal to let anyone except Bit in the cockpit, whoever wrote that program must've been really good to even get the Raigaru to except his orders."

"Her."

"What?"

"Her orders. The voice coming over the intercom was a girl. So SHE got Raigaru to follow HER orders."

Jiemi thought a moment, then shrugged. "Okay, her, whatever. Anyway, what makes this program even harder to crack is that the programmer added to the code for the program to self destruct itself after the signal ended, so that we wouldn't be able to get a hold of the program ourselves."

"Pretty ingenious then, huh?"

Jiemi nodded. "We have no way of knowing how many Zoids can use this program. That means any battle we go into against the Backdraft could end with us battling each other unwillingly."

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Ballade asked. Jiemi just nodded.


	9. Chapter 7: Invitation

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Notes: The convention Jiemi is going to isn't like an anime convention. It's one of those conventions that're only a day long, where people go to workshops and seminars. Oh, and there's an inside joke hidden in this chapter. See if you can find it

Chapter 7: Invitation

Arasu ran into Dr. Raon on her way to the workout room the next morning. "Arasu, a word with you?" He asked. She nodded, and followed him to his office.

"Arasu, we're heading into town today, I have some business to take care of."

"Will you be needing me to accompany you, Ese?"

"No. But that's why I wanted to see you. You haven't had a day off in a while, so I thought that perhaps you might like to go into town on your own. Perhaps do some shopping?"

"That would be wonderful."

Dr. Raon reached into his desk drawer and handed Arasu a card he pulled out. "Here. Buy yourself some clothes, and treat yourself to lunch. Just be back to the Whaleking by dusk."

"Ese..." Ara began, but he silenced her.

"Consider this a bonus for your performance yesterday." With that, Dr. Raon left the room. Arasu stared after him, and then left the room herself, to change into something more appropriate for a day out in the town.

"Is everything ready?" Dr. Raon asked the man standing next to him.

"Yes, sir. Once we land in town, and Miss Hemerosu is out of the way, there won't be anything to stop us."

"Good. Now that Arasu knows that her brother is a part of the Blitz Team, she won't willingly go into battle against them. As long as this doesn't fail, we won't have to worry about that situation."

"Hey Doc!" Jiemi called, entering the control center of the Hover Cargo. The older man looked up as his assistant came over to him. "I just got an invitation to a Strategist's Convention today. The town it's taking place in is coming up on the way back to the base." The boy leaned over the console and pointed it out on the map.

"That's a pretty nice town, Jiemi. Why don't you go find the others? You can go to your convention, and we can spend the day in town." Jiemi nodded, and left the room to tell his teammates of the change in plans.

Later that day, Arasu found herself nearing a small park on the edge of the town. Setting her shopping bags on a bench, she walked to the edge of the park, which was literally on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea.

While she was looking out over the water, she heard the crunch of a foot falling on a piece of wood behind her, and spun around. The momentum of her spin forced her back over the edge of the cliff-face, and she had the faintest glimpse of a blond-haired boy looking at her before she fell. She stopped her fall by grabbing at the rocks, but there was barely enough for her to hold onto, and nothing she could use to climb up. As she tried to figure out if she could turn her wrist-communicator on and not fall, the boy she'd seen in the park peeked his head over the edge.

"Need some help?" he asked her. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Arasu's wrists, and started pulling. Using his support to keep her up, Arasu pushed her feet against the cliff wall and propelled herself up. When she was back on solid ground, both teens lay on the ground panting for breath.

Arasu looked up at her helper. "Thanks. I don't think I could've gotten back up if you hadn't been there to help."

The boy looked over at her. "Yeah, but if I hadn't've startled you, you probably wouldn't've fallen." The boy glanced at his watch. "Man, I gotta go meet my teammates. Sorry." The boy started to run off, but then stopped and turned back. "By the way, my name's Bit. Bit Cloud." He turned away and ran off before Arasu could say anything.

_Bit Cloud?_ she thought. _Isn't that the Raigaru Zero's pilot? If he's in town with his teammates, that means my brother could be here, too. I'll need to be careful._

Jiemi looked down at the paper he had printed out from his e-mail, and then up at the hotel he was standing in front of. _This is the place on the invitation_, he thought as he walked inside. There weren't a lot of people in the lobby, but he walked up to the counter like the instructions had said, and handed the paper to the receptionist.

"Take the elevator to the top floor, and you're looking for room 426," the receptionist told him, smiling. Jiemi took the paper back from her and walked to the elevator.

_That's strange_, he thought. _I would've thought there'd be more people here than for just one room. Maybe it's the registration room, and the rest of the convention is in other rooms?_

When the elevator reached the top floor, he found the appropriate room, and tried the doorknob. The door was locked, so he knocked. The door opened for him, but when he stepped inside, the lights were off, and he couldn't see anyone. The door closed behind him, and the lights snapped on, and Jiemi found himself face-to-face with Dr. Raon. "Raon!" he exclaimed, as someone grabbed him from behind and put a cloth over his face.

Jiemi realized that the cloth covering his face was drugged, and tried to hold his breath. Dr. Raon shook his head. "I'm truly sorry about this, Jiemi. If there were any other way, I'd do it," was the last thing Jiemi heard before passing out.

It was late in the afternoon when Arasu stopped in the small diner to get some food before heading back. She sat at the bar and gave one of the waitresses her order, when a group of people walked in the door and took the back corner booth. Glancing a look back, she saw a young man and woman she didn't recognize, an older man, and her rescuer, Bit Cloud. Turning away before they saw her face, she thought about what she'd just seen. _The man... he's Torosu! I remember him from when he'd visit fa... when he'd visit. The girl must be Rinon. Raon was right, she does look a lot like her mother. I don't know who the boy is, though. He doesn't look right to be Leon, and he doesn't look old enough, anyway. But it's gotta be the Blitz Team. I can't let them identify me, or things could get messed up_.

Bit looked toward the front of the restaurant to wave over a waitress, and spotted Arasu. "Guys," he told the others, "that's the girl I told you about earlier. The one I helped."

Dr. Torosu looked over and saw the girl. "She looks like she's alone, so why don't you invite her over?"

Arasu felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see Bit standing there. "Hey, remember me?" he asked. "My friends and I were wondering if you'd like to join us." Arasu wanted to say no, but Bit's enthusiasm was contagious, and she accepted his offer. "That reminds me, I didn't get your name."

Arasu bit her lip. "Su. Su Rai."

"That's a cool name, Su," Bit replied as they reached the table. He introduced the other members of the Blitz Team to Arasu. "That's Ballade," he told her, pointing to the sandy-haired boy, "and this is Dr. Torosu and his daugher, Rinon," confirming Ara's suspisions. "Guys, this is Su Rai," he told the others. If either of the Torosus recognized her, neither said anything.

"So do you live in town, Su?" Dr. Torosu asked her.

"No, I'm just here doing some shopping," she replied, indicating her bags.

"By yourself?" Ballade asked.

"No," she told him, quickly thinking up a story. "My father had to come into town for some business. I'm meeting him at the car after dinner, to go home." They apparantly accepted this, and the topic of conversation changed to Zoids and Zoid piloting, for which Arasu told them she had no experience.

After dinner, when she returned to the Whaleking, Arasu sought out Dr. Raon to tell him what she had learned about the Blitz Team. She asked a young cadet for his location, and found him in one of the labs, and knocked on the door. Curious as to what he was working on, she peered in the window on the door, and saw Dr. Raon and one of their staff medics talking in front of a bed, where someone was laying. Opening the door so she could talk to Dr. Raon, she realized that the boy on the bed was her brother, she exclaimed "Jiemi!" and ran for the bed.

Guesturing to the medic, Dr. Raon intercepted Arasu's lunge for the bed. "Let me go!" Arasu yelled. "What have you done to him?!"

"Arasu, calm yourself. Your brother is merely sleeping. We have not done 'anything' to him." As Arasu struggled to get to Jiemi, Dr. Raon tightened his grip on her arms, holding her.

Just then, the medic came up beside them, and stuck a needle containing sedative into Arasu's arm. "Jiemi..." Arasu said as she folded into Dr. Raon's arms.

"This is very bad. Will she remember?" Dr. Raon asked the medic.

"When she wakes up, most of the day will seem like a vague dream to her, if she remembers anything at all. It shouldn't effect your plans," he replied.

"How long will she be out?"

"At least until mid-morning tomorrow."

"Will everything here be taken care of by then?"

The medic opened his mouth to reply, but changed his comment as he saw the look on the other's face. "It will be, sir."

Dr. Raon didn't reply, just picked the girl up in his arms and carried her back to her quarters.

Sorry 'bout the really long wait. It's called school.


	10. Chapter 8: Twin Eagles

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Notes: Anybody find the inside joke in the last chapter yet? Post it in your review if ya do. If no one finds it by the time I upload Chapter 9, I'll tell ya what it was. And Team Nyan-Nyan is the Japanese name for the "Fuzzy Pandas." Quite frankly, "Nyan-Nyan" makes more sense than "Fuzzy Pandas" anyway, 'cause "Nyan-Nyan" is like "Meow" in English, so the picture would be of a big Tiger saing "meow," which is sorta like the team (doesn't do much).

Chapter 8: Twin Eagles

When Arasu woke up, it was late afternoon. As she sat up and tried to figure out why her head felt so groggy, she realized that she was still wearing the dress she'd wore to town. _Why did I go to bed in this?_ she thought. _And WHEN did I go to bed? I don't remember. I don't even remember coming back to the Whaleking. Or even much of being in town. Is this even the same day I went to town, or the next?_ Shaking her head, Arasu changed into her usual attire for working on the Whaleking, and decided to go find Dr. Raon.

"You said mid-morning, Doctor," a mad Raon told his companion.

"I said at least, sir. Don't worry, the girl will be fine, and will not be able to interfere with your plans," the Doctor replied.

"You'd better be right, or..." Raon started to reply, when he heard a knock on his office door. "Enter," he called, and was relieved to see Arasu walk through the door.

"Arasu!" he exclaimed, standing up and walking to her. "I'm so glad to see that you're feeling better."

"Feeling better?" Arasu questioned, noticing the doctor, as Raon pulled her into a big hug.

"Yes, when you returned to the Whaleking last night, you were quite ill. The doctor gave you medicine, but I've been worried about you, since you slept so late."

The doctor got up, following Raon's ploy, and felt Arasu's forehead and pulse, as if checking her health. "Yes, it seems as if you've slept out whatever you caught, so you should be fine. But take it easy for the next few days." With that, the doctor left the room, leaving Arasu and Raon alone.

"I was ill? I don't even remember coming back... last night?"

"The doctor said this might happen, Ara. He said that you were quite feverish last night that he had to give you a sedative, and probably wouldn't remember much from yesterday, as a side effect. He believes that there's a good chance that you've been pushing yourself too much lately. I can't have you doing that, so I'm assigning you a partner."

"A partner, sir?"

"Yes, a partner. Not only for strategies, but for battles as well, since you did so well. He's another aerial pilot, so we'll be able to install the programs in his Zoid as well."

"That's... wonderful, sir. When will I be able to meet him?"

"Actually, he's waiting in the other room." Raon took Arasu by the hand and led her to the door. When he opened the door, Arasu could see a figure standing on the other side of the room, back to her, looking out the window. "Arasu Hemerosu, may I present to you your new partner: Jiemi Hemerosu." Arasu stood there in shock as the figure turned around, and was revealed to be her own younger brother. "I'll leave you two to get reacquainted," Raon said, and left the room.

"Jiemi?!?!"

A couple of minutes later, after the obligatory hugs and exclamations of disbelief had passed, Ara asked Jiemi what he was doing there.

"I've missed you, Aneki. I want to work with you. That's why I'm here."

"But Jiemi, what about your old team, Blitz?"

Jiemi looked down, and it seemed to Ara that he was trying to find the answer himself. "They don't need me. I rarely go into battle, and no one pays any attention to my strategies. But you're here, and you're my sister!" Ara hugged her brother, and he smiled sheepishly up at her. "Hey, I hear that you have some awesome new programs that you've been working on. Can you show me?" Ara grinned down at him, and led the way to her lab.

Dr. Raon found Arasu and Jiemi amidst a pile of datapads, the girl explaining one to her brother. Both looked up when he entered the room. Arasu quickly jumped to her feet, and Jiemi followed in suit.

"Sir?" Arasu asked. At a look from Dr. Raon, she changed her mind. "Ese? Did you need something?"

"I've secured a second Reinosu for Jiemi to use. How long would it take to get the two programs installed, and to teach him how to use them?"

Ara looked at her brother quickly, before responding. "Less than a week. If we work hard, I'd say 5 days."

"Good. That would make it Thursday. I've scheduled a battle for you on Saturday."

"A battle already? Are you sure?"

"Of course. I have complete faith in the two of you. They say that siblings have a special rapport. Perhaps this will help us."

"Who will we be battling, Ese?"

"Team Tigers."

"Nyan-nyan," Jiemi said under his breath. Both Dr. Raon and Ara turned to look at him. "Bit started it. They're supposed to be Tigers, but they don't have much of a roar. So he calls 'em Team Nyan-Nyan. They hate it, of course, but it's stuck."

"Nyan-nyan..." Ara echoed. "I like it. What did you register our team as?"

"Twin Eagles. I thought it appropriate."

"Omari, you go left. Lineback, you go right. Let's get them!" Kirkland shouted at his team.

Arasu shook her head. No wonder the team had such problems, shouting their strategy over open channels. She made sure that the channel was private, then sent a message to her brother. "I'm going after the leader. Take out one of the others, and I'll have the leader take out the last one." 

Jiemi's Reinosu peeled off to the side to take on Omari, and Arasu aimed right toward Kirkland. She dodged his missles, and launched her claws at him. Over the open channel, she could hear Kirkland yelling as he got hit by the electric charge, but there was nothing he could do. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw that Jiemi was almost done with Omari. Disconnecting the cables to the Zaber Fang, she dodged Lineback's missles as they came from her rear, and flew toward Jiemi and Omari's downed Zoid, and Jiemi took over the battle against Lineback. Using the distraction to take control of Kirkland's machine, she aimed him toward Lineback, and rammed the two Zoids together, freezing both.

As Arasu retrieved her Reinosu's claws, the Dark Judge gleefully announced, "The winner is... Team Twin Eagles." 

"I guess they really are more of Team Nyan-Nyan than Team Tigers," Arasu snickered through the open line as she and Jiemi returned to the Whaleking.

Bit dropped his jacket on the couch and flopped down next to it.

"Any word on Jiemi?" Ballade asked him.

"No, but you should hear what's going around in town. Apparently there's this new team with the Backdraft Group that's unbeatable. Everyone says that all of a sudden their leader's Zoid goes nuts and takes out one of the other Zoids."

"That sounds almost like that battle we had," Rinon replied. "What teams have been hit?"

"Mainly minor teams, but the Tigers were apparently the first. Heard it from Kirkland himself. He said that one of the Reinosu shot its claws at him and sent an electrical charge through, then he couldn't control the Fang and rammed into Lineback."

"That's exactly what happened to us!" Rinon shouted, jumping to her feet.

"What's all the excitement about? Did you find Jiemi?" Dr. Torosu said, entering the room. No one needed to reply, the three downturned faces told him everything he needed. "Well, perk up, we've got a battle to prepare for. It's against the Twin Eagles team."

Sorry for how long it took me, this term was brutal... one more to go, and then I'm free!!

Okay, I'm sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I promise I will soon, now that I've graduated. Anywho, I've fixed all of the formatting problems and re-uploaded the whole thing.


	11. Chapter 9: Information

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Notes: Well, I promised, so the inside joke in chapter 7 was the room number, 426. 2002's Sakura-Con started on 4-26 (which wasn't over a year ago when I wrote it).

Chapter 9: Information

"You've got to be kidding, Doc!" Bit exclaimed.

"How are we supposed to go into battle without our strategist? Especially against a team that's supposed to be as powerful as the Twin Eagles," Ballade commented.

"But... the prize money! And it'll help take your minds off of everything else!" Doc tried countering, but he knew it wasn't working.

"Dad, we're not doing it. So go tell the ZBC that were not going to fight until we get Jiemi back."

"They WHAT?!?!" Arasu yelled. "But it had already been approved and accepted! They can't back down!"

"Apparently, they gave some folderol to the ZBC about the team being too distraught to battle," Raon replied, trying to get her to lower her voice.

"Distraught? Distraught over what? Jiemi? He came here on his own, didn't he?" Arasu stormed out of the room, leaving Dr. Raon on his own.

_She's begining to get out of hand... Something may have to be done about her before she spoils my plans..._

Bit was wandering around the base. He couldn't sleep, not knowing if Jiemi was alright or not. Not even realizing it, he had wandered to the strategy room. How many times had he been wandering around in the middle of the night and found Jiemi here, working on last minute strategies? Bit couldn't remember, it happened so often. Of course, Jiemi always knew exactly what he was doing up in the middle of the night. And promply sent him back in the opposite direction of the kitchen. Bit smiled, remembering how he'd wait until Jiemi finally went to bed, and then go straight back down to the kitchen. He wondered if Rinon had ever figured out that trick, having lived with the kid for so long. Bit shook his head, trying to get those memories out of his head. _Wait for Jiemi to get back before being happy, Bit_, he told himself. He was about to wander off again, when he noticed a light flashing on one of the consoles. _What's this?_ Bit walked over to the console, and realized that it was an incoming transmission. He wasn't awake enough to realize that whomever was sending the transmission had deliberately not activated the sound notice, which is why he hadn't heard it.

"Hello?" Bit asked, after pressing the button.

"It's about time someone answered," a testy female voice came back over the com unit. He couldn't see what she looked like, because there was no video. "I have information you might be interested in."

"Yeah, well what's that?" Bit pressed.

"If you want to find out what happened to your strategist, accept the battle invitation from the Twin Eagles team."

"What? Hey, wait a minute! You're that girl from the battle the other week! What have you done with Jiemi!?!"

"I haven't done anything to young Hemerosu. I told you. If you want information, accept our battle invitation. That is all I wanted to say." With that, the transmission ended.

_Accept their battle invitation? What does the Twin Eagles Team have to do with Jiemi's disappearance?_

"Accept their battle, and we'll get information on Jiemi? What kind of lead is that?" Rinon yelled at Bit.

"The only one we have!" Bit yelled back.

Ballade sighed and looked at Doc. While it was true that it was harder to go into battle without a strategist, it was nowhere near impossible. And if going into battle meant possibly getting the kid back, Ballade decided he didn't care if they went against the Twin Eagles or not, as long as he was paid. With him in the middle, Bit on one side, and Rinon on the other, it was up to the Doc to decide whether or not they would accept the challenge.

Doc stood up and walked to the center of the room. He looked at Bit. "So the entire message was that if we want information on finding Jiemi, we need to fight the Twin Eagles, correct?" Bit nodded. "Did the person say anything else?"

"Not really," Bit said, trailing off. "Wait! I did ask her what she'd done, and she said she hadn't done anything to him. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that she's the one with the information, and that she was telling me the truth."

Doc nodded. He turned to his daughter. "Rinon, do we have any other information to go off of, as to Jiemi's whereabouts?" Rinon shook her head. "Then isn't it true that we should at least look into any lead we have?" Rinon looked down, and then nodded.

Lastly, Doc turned to Ballade. "Do you have anything to add to this discussion?"

Ballade sighed again. "If Bit's conclusion that our caller was indeed the girl from the battle, then we know that she's a member of the Backdraft group, and that she's working for Dr. Raon. We also know that Jiemi disappeared right after that battle, and that this Twin Eagles team popped up after that, and are using the same tactics that she used on us in our battle. I know that Jiemi was working on some new strategies that could keep us safe from Backdraft's new toys, so maybe they grabbed him to keep him out of their way?"

Doc nodded. "That makes sense, and it's the best theory we've got. So will we accept the battle?" Doc looked at the three remaining members of his team, and got three nods. "I'll finish the paperwork. I'll also call Leon and Naomi, and Oscar. They may be able to help us out.

"Ara! Ara!" Jiemi yelled, running through the halls of the Whaleking looking for his sister. He finally found her in her office, working on some data tablets with Raon.

Arasu looked up as her brother entered. "What is it, Jiemi?" she asked.

"They've accepted our battle! We get to battle the Blitz Team!"

Raon looked up, surprised. He had not expected Torosu to change his mind. "That is indeed great news, Jiemi. Why don't you go down and start making sure the Reinosu are in top condition, while Arasu and I finish up here?" Jiemi left the room, and Raon closed it behind him, before turning to Arasu. "Arasu, I have no doubt that you have had a hand in this turn of events. Would you like to explain yourself?"

"Not really," Arasu replied somewhat coldly, not looking up from her work.

"Arasu Hemerosu. Tell me what you have done, now! This is an order," Raon demanded.

Arasu looked up, shock on her face. In the seven years that she had been with him, he'd never raised his voice or his hand at her, and now he'd done one, and possibly would do the other, if she didn't cooperate. "I called the Blitz Team last night," she said suddenly, looking down at her lap.

"And told them what?" Raon said, anger in his voice.

"I told them that if they wanted information on Jiemi, they had to battle us. It wasn't like they were going to battle us if something wasn't done! And aren't your orders to capture the Raigaru? We can't do that unless we battle them!" she yelled back.

Raon took a deep breath to calm him. "While I understand your reasoning, you may have just put a large setback into my plans. Finish your work here, and then join Jiemi in the hangar." With that, he left himself.

Arasu sighed. _Raon says we have to get the Raigaru. How else can we get it without a battle? And Jiemi looked so excited. I never would've thought he'd be so excited to fight his old team. Something's not quite right about that. That or the fact that Jiemi didn't tell his team where he was going. I wonder what's actually going on?_

Yay! I finally finished another chapter! Happy me.


	12. Chapter 10: The Second Battle

Princess of the Zoids: Could it Be Me

Notes: I'm gonna try to get this finished pretty soon. Then I'm gonna try to finish "Something Worth Leaving Behind," and then I'll work a little more on "Learning to Live" and "Might and Magik" (X-Men: Evolution). I've also got a Saiyuki fic and a Xenosaga fic I'm working on. So I've put out an announcement on all my fics as I update them: After I update everything, whatever has the most reviews by one week after everything is updated, will be the one I focus the most on.

Also, as I've said before, I'm not the greatest at writing fighting, so much of this battle is being left out.

Chapter 10: The Second Battle

"Ready to go, Jiemi?" Arasu asked her brother from the cockpit of her Reinosu. Jiemi didn't reply, but a communication window opened, and she saw him nod at her. She nodded in reply, then opened the communication window to the bridge of the Whaleking. "Dr. Raon, we're ready to go." 

"Acknowledged," a bridge crewmember responded.

"Arasu, Jiemi." Dr. Raon was speaking to them. "Your mission for this battle is to capture the Raigaru. But above that, do not allow the Blitz Team to learn your identities. Do you understand?" Both Jiemi and Arasu nodded. "Then good luck." He shut off the communications device.

The last member of their maintenance crew ran away from the starting Zoids, and Arasu chuckled. It was the same man who almost dropped her claws while they were being installed, and it served him right not to get a warning that she would start her Zoid's engines.

"That was mean, Arasu," Jiemi told her.

"He deserved it, Ototo-chan. Trust me." Arasu didn't know why, but she felt nervous about this battle. True, she'd already practically defeated the Blitz Team before, and with her brother by her side instead of attacking her, this time, the battle should end differently, but something still felt wrong.

"There's two Reinosu on the team, from all accounts," Leon told the three Blitz pilots. He and Naomi had met up with them that morning at their base, and rode out the short distance to the battle site with the Blitz Team. Currently, they were in the control center with Dr. Torosu, assisting in the coordination of the battle.

"But be careful," Naomi cautioned, "because they are with Backdraft, so they could send out more." The three pilots acknowledged the advice, and launched their Zoids.

"Jiemi," Arasu called to her brother. "Whatever you do, don't send out anything on the open channel. They'll recognize your voice." Jiemi acknowledged her, then they prepared for battle.

You know that feeling of excitement that comes from a sporting event between two highly skilled individuals or teams? Nothing else could describe this battle. Jiemi and Arasu might not have the fighting skills that Bit, Ballade, and Rinon have, but their speed and maneuverability made up for that difference.

"You notice that?" Leon commented to Naomi and his father.

"Notice what?" Naomi asked.

"The way those two move out there." He pointed to the screen, at the intricate attack formations that the two Reinosu were performing. "They've got to be related. Probably siblings." Torosu and Naomi didn't reply, wondering where the Raon had found two skilled Reinosu pilot siblings.

"You ready?" Arasu asked her brother.

"As ready as I'll be, aneki," Jiemi replied.

"Alright. Our biggest threat is the Shadow Fox. The Gun Sniper can't hit you when you move fast enough. Distract them, and I'll go for the Raigaru." 

"Got it." The two Reinosu broke formation, and implemented their plan.

"Bit!" Torosu yelled from the base. "The Reinosu is coming up behind you. They could be trying what they did last time. Watch out."

"Got it, Doc!" Bit switched channels on his com, to speak directly with the pilot chasing him. "You wanna fight me? Then fight me. One on one, no tricks. 

Arasu couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bit Cloud, pilot of the Raigaru Zero, was challenging her to a battle. Turning on her private channel to Jiemi, she asked him "Change of plans. I'll distract the Raigaru, you try to take over the Shadow Fox. Can you handle it?" 

Jiemi didn't reply right away. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" 

"The Raigaru knows what I'm trying. We can't ignore both of the other Zoids, and there's no way I can get control of him when he's onto me. We have to try." 

"Alright, but be careful." 

Arasu switched her com to the line that Bit had opened. "Bit Cloud, I accept your challenge." 

"You asked for it!" he shouted back at her, as he turned to face her Zoid.

Bit and Arasu's battle had quickly become a stalemate. He couldn't catch her speed to hit her, and her projectiles were easily dodged by the land-based Zoid. However, Jiemi wasn't having as easy a time. Every time he tried to attack the Shadow Fox, the Gun Sniper countered him, making him dodge.

"Aneki," he called to his sister. "I'm changing plans. I'll lure the Shadow Fox to the edge of the battlefield, then double back and get the Gun Sniper." 

"Just be careful," Arasu sent back. "Remember that it's hard to control two Zoids at once. If you can't take the Shadow Fox out quickly with the Gun Sniper, you'll have to dodge it and keep control of the Sniper at the same time." 

"I'll handle it!" was the reply much too confident-sounding for her brother, normally. "The Wild Eagle can handle anything." 

From his seat in the Hover Cargo, Dr. Torosu watched the second Reinosu's burst of speed toward the edge of the battlefield. _That flying style..._ he thought. _But it couldn't be..._

"Arasu, what's going on?" Raon asked his pilot.

"The Raigaru's pilot caught onto our plan, and to keep me from being able to control his Zoid, he challenged me to a private duel. I'm using this time to allow Jiemi to take out the other two. He was having problems getting control of the Shadow Fox, so he's luring him out to the edge of the battlefield, so he can use his speed to get control of the Gun Sniper." Arasu dodged a shot from the Raigaru. "But I'm worried. He referred to himself as the 'Wild Eagle' just now. Do you know what that's about?" 

"Not entirely, but keep an eye on him. If it looks like the battle will change to favor the Blitz team, get out of there."

"Yes, sir." 

Though the conversation took only a moment, it did distract her enough for the Raigaru to get one shot at her that connected.

"Frack!" she yelled, and turned to charge the offending Zoid

On the other side of the battlefield, the Wild Eagle was fighting a losing battle against the Gun Sniper. _One last shot_, he thought. _I can make it this time_. Coming in low so that she wouldn't see him, he was about to launch the claws, when he was rammed into from the side.

"The Shadow Fox!" he exclaimed. "I'm hit!" 

Arasu switched back to their private channel. "Ototo-chan! Retreat! I'll cover you!" 

"The Wild Eagle does not retreat!" 

"Well, the Wild Eagle had better do what his commanding officer says, and that's an order directly from Dr. Raon. You can't fight with that damage. Get out of there, now!" 

Fearing the wrath of his sister, the Wild Eagle turned to return to the Whaleking, but found himself the target of the Gun Sniper.

Breaking off her battle with Bit, Arasu flew to block the shots, but couldn't take them all out, and got hit by one. "Argh!" 

"Arasu!" 

"Go! I'll be fine" But as she looked to make sure that her brother was following her orders, she got hit with a full barrage from the Gun Sniper. The Shadow Fox hit her with another shot as she was going down, which froze her computer.

Arasu was going down, and fast, and without her computer, she couldn't counter the descent rate. "Raon! Sir! Get out of here with the Whaleking. I'll find a way to get back on my own. I have to eject!" 

"Arasu, will you be alright?"

"I'll be find. Just protect my brother!" Arasu hit the eject, and was launched out of the battered Reinosu. However, she had waited too long to eject, and didn't have the height to hit the parachute, and hit the ground hard, knocking her out.

"Bit! Rinon! Ballade!" Torosu shouted at his warriors. "Let the other Reinosu get away. You need to get to that pilot, and make sure she's alright!"

The three warriors ignored the Dark Judge's announcement of the Blitz Team's win and departure, getting their Zoids as close to the crash site as they dared, then climbing out and searching for Arasu.

Bit got to her first, and, unstrapping her from the seat, recognized her. "Guys, it's Su!"

An angry Wild Eagle stormed to the bridge, where Dr. Raon was directing the crew to take them out of the area.

"You're not going to just leave her there, are you?"

Raon looked at the boy, who seemed so different from the calm Jiemi he was used to.

"'Wild Eagle', was it? Your sister knew what she was doing. She can handle herself. Besides, the Blitz Team won't harm her."

The Wild Eagle looked like he was about to hit Raon, but decided against it. "I'm going to see to the repair of my Zoid," he announced, and stormed out of the room.

Raon walked over to a console and hit the communicator button. "Doctor, I need to see you in my office. We may have a problem."

Okay, I'm sorry for the long update, but here it is!


End file.
